Psychological projection is the act of attributing one’s unpleasant traits to someone else. Psychological deflection is a way of shifting attention away from one’s poor behavior to another person. Both are used expertly by Democrats, who don’t want the voters to catch on to their act.
We could start with any of the Democrats’ many examples of projection and deflection, but let’s focus on one of the most recent instances of a Democratic pot calling a kettle black: California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Florida television ad.
“Freedom is under attack in your state,” Newsom said in a voice a bit less croaky than his usual raspy delivery. “Your Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors.
“I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate, and the freedom to love. Don’t let them take your freedom,” he finishes with a faux flourish that included a pointed finger meant to underline the sincerity the factory-made man sorely lacks.
The ad is a truly stomach-turning performance (typical of Newsom) for those who truly cherish freedom, and understand what it is – and isn’t. (It’s also filled with lies. Read this master Fisking of the governor’s tales.)
The California of Newsom, who many hope will save the Democratic Party from sinking under the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris millstones, is ranked 48th in the Cato Institute’s Freedom In The 50 States report. It’s where new prohibitions, such as bans on multiple plastic consumer goods, including single-use bags customarily given out by retailers, pop up on a regular basis, and food waste must be composted rather than thrown in garbage cans.
Under Newsom, California lawmakers:
- Have literally robbed workers of their livelihoods through Assembly Bill 5, which virtually outlawed gig work (though exceptions have been granted for some of the more politically connected independent contract workers).
- Are in the process of criminalizing speech about COVID-19 that is considered by the political powers to be “disinformation” or “misinformation.”
- And are also trying to dodge the Second Amendment and the U.S Supreme Court’s recent Bruen ruling.
The single-party state on America’s Left Coast has also forbidden consumers, via Newsom’s pen, from buying the cars of their choice; engaged in a war on all cars; and created an environment of intolerance for opinions and voices that don’t march in step with the Democrats.
That’s the way it is in California, and that’s the way it is with Democrats across the country.
They no longer support free speech – they’re wholly committed to political correctness, the soul-crushing rigidity of a woke existence, and shutting down political speech they don’t want to be heard.
They don’t believe in economic freedom – their objective is to redistribute wealth, wildly spend other peoples’ money, and set limits on the earnings of those they don’t like and/or are easy to scapegoat.
The Democrats have been the worst violators of personal liberty since the beginning of the pandemic, decreeing criminal lockdowns (which were deadly), issuing mask mandates (which are useless), and mandating vaccinations (which violates the “my body, my choice” principle the Democrats swear they support).
At the same time they don’t believe in property rights, they do believe in government regulation, no matter how encumbering it is; the application of government power to render their definition of equity; and restricting health care choices, which they believe should be fully in government’s hands.
We challenge readers to come up with even a single freedom that Democrats support, and abortion doesn’t count unless a convincing case can be made that abortion is not the taking of an innocent human life, and that the aborted have no rights of their own to be respected.
Freedom for Democrats is the contrived Rooseveltian “freedom from,” not the Lockean “freedom to.” The former carves out a vast role for government to take over lives. Americans today regularly fall for this. As soon as Democrats say “we’re going to give you something,” they’ve already made it clear they’re taking that “something” from someone else, who then loses their freedom. Democrats’ freedoms are in fact shackles. If this nation is truly one of liberty, they should be nowhere near the levers of political power.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
“We challenge readers to come up with even a single freedom that Democrats support” I&I
Freedom from prosecution and accountability for criminals, who get an almost unfettered freedom to burgle and shoplift. Crime is the only gig work favored by Democrats. California is a sanctuary state for criminals of all sorts. Won’t even get into sexual perversions, and freedom to abuse. And like Illinois, Michigan, etc., Democrat politicians, particularly governors have the freedom to be above the law (e.g. dining at the French laundry when it is closed to the rest of the public). It is a George Orwell Animal Farm type of freedom, where everyone is free and equal but some are more free and equal than others (e.g. Democrat office holders like Nancy Pelosi, who bullied her hairdresser right out of San Francisco).
California is big on freedom to practice tyranny and demonize, and be a bully to your heart’s content (but only if you are a Democrat and the object of your scorn and abuse is a business person or political enemy). If you are a liberal and hate the GOP, California goes beyond freedom, almost mandating bullying, tormenting, persecuting, prosecuting and otherwise making life miserable for the GOP. California’s governor had to run his faux freedom ad in Florida, because even his California supporters know that what travels from his moronic mind and issues out his mouth is a crock of feces and not to be believed. California’s god-hating voting majority reflexively vote anti-GOP, out of an intense hatred. Perhaps it just feels good, just like bullying, demonizing, smashing windows and looting feel good. No doubt some people in Florida will come to California for the freedom to bully, demonize and practice crime and evil in general.
Two hundred years of abuse starting with Andrew Jackson’s Trail of Tears.
There is a lot of freedom in California. Examples:
– You are free to pay some of the nation’s highest state income taxes or go to jail.
– You are free to pay taxes on your retirement withdrawals and social security at state income tax rates or go to jail.
– You are free to pay the nation’s highest gasoline prices, walk, bike or use a poor transit system if one exists in your area.
– You are free to send your child to the government school in your district or pay big bucks to send him to a private school and still be taxed for that school in your district.
– You are free to send your child to some of the poorest performing schools in the nation.
– Or you were free to have aborted your child so that school would not have become an issue.
– You are free to pay the nation’s highest sales taxes reaching and exceeding 10% depending on your location.
– You are free to buy things on Amazon providing they have received CARB approval.
– You are free to drive some of the most congested and littered roads in the nation
Freedom abounds and if you don’t like it you can leave the state as many are starting to do.
Malcontents in our society, encouraged by socialist ideologues in and out of the academy and government, are now assuming a more strident role.They see that Joe Biden has fostered an administration with the blind staggers, people who revel in contempt, if not outright hatred, for Americans who do not think ‘correctly’. As he beholds the culmination of his life’s work, more than four decades in the murky swamp, Biden does not recognize how he and his band of Bernie Sanders think-alikes have plundered our history and traditions. He is a hero only in his dreams and may be unaware of the nightmare reality he has loosed. If we cannot educate new generations of Americans about the beauty of personal and economic freedom, the Biden administration may well bequeath a history that transforms the nation, one beholden to the tyranny of a Democratic machine whose gears are greased by stultifying taxes and suffocating regulations and one that weakens America by decay of our independent spirit in favor of the government teat.
“Don’t Let The Democrats Claim The Mantle Of Freedom” == ? Is it even thinkable that they would try? Apart from functional microcephalics like Gavin Newsom, that is.
The incredible thing about California is how free a place it once was. But today it’s among the worst states in that regard, though I must admit that my own New York has claimed the bottom spot in the rankings. But I digress. The true state of affairs becomes clear when one contrasts life in relatively free districts with those under Democrat control, especially cities. It’s a contrast more Americans have noticed recently; witness the exodus from the cities these past two years. It’s not all because of the Kung Flu.
A caveat: Do not allow the Republicans to claim that they’re the party of freedom just now, either. We must hold their feet to the fire about Constitutional fidelity and their commitment to regulatory rescissions for at least a couple more election cycles. When they’ve performed to match their rhetoric, then we can consider granting them the title.
Stomach churning not! Hilarious yes. Newsom is the David Chappell of politics. Everything he says is a joke(on him). He has the gravitas of a feather. No one outside of California takes him seriously. I really hope he runs for President. He will keep this country entertained while the serious politicians will actually have something to say.